Runner-up video paints Internet in good light

A video showcasing the positive side of the Internet has won a Jacksonville teenager second place as well as $1,000 in a recent contest.

THOMAS BRENNAN - Daily News Staff

A video showcasing the positive side of the Internet has won a Jacksonville teenager second place as well as $1,000 in a recent contest.

“Last year on Memorial Day weekend my dad was diagnosed with cancer,” said Matthew Serra, 15, of Jacksonville. “My mom started a Facebook page named Praying For Pete for the sole purpose of supporting my dad and showing him that people loved and cared for him. It was a very hard journey and not a lot of people knew about it. My testimony was worth sharing.”

The competition was held by Trend Micro who, for the fourth year, asked for video submissions that focus on exploiting the more positive side of the Internet. The Internet security provider focuses on security solutions that protect consumers, small businesses and enterprises. The contest received almost 100 submissions from the United States and Canada.

“I hope the video showed (my dad) he wasn’t alone,” Serra said. “He wasn’t the person you thought this would happen to. We just wanted to support him. We didn’t want him to go through this alone.”

Resurfacing the emotions to make the video was very difficult, said Serra.

“I tried to approach it with the attitude that you have to get this done,” said Serra. “You have to show people there is a good side to the Internet if it is used properly. You hear a lot about the bad … when people focus on the bad stuff they tend to blot out the good side of it.”

Being one of the runner-ups is very rewarding, said Serra.

“I feel like this whole journey hasn’t been for nothing,” Serra said. “It hasn’t gone in vain. There (are) people who now see the Internet in a good light all because of my dad’s story.”

The Serra family is coming up on their one year anniversary of his cancer diagnosis, said Serra.

“My dad is very alive,” Serra said. “He does everything the same if not better.”

Finalists within the competition were selected and judged from an expert panel of leading social media and technology organizations, said Vivian Shic, a senior corporate communications manager for Trend Micro.

“We encourage all entrants to socialize their entries whether it is on social networks or in their communities,” said Shic.

Socializing their work shows the Internets positive qualities, said Shic.

“The unique quality of this contest requires you to become educated about being safe online but also to become advocates of their own messages,” said Vivian Shic, of San Francisco. “These videos are used in schools, educational organizations and even the media.”